Literacy @ All Levels
Four Teachers Collaborating to Solve Problems of Practice
Kristie Hofelich Ennis, NBCT
· Courses Taught: 12th grade English (Honors & Comp), Dual-Credit English 101, Journalism
· School Info: Public High School in Louisville, KY formerly labeled Persistently Low Achieving (PLA) & now a Focus School.
· Student Population: 850 students, ~80% Title I
· Focus: College & Career Readiness
· Problem of Practice: Students are tested out and many are not reaching standardized testing benchmarks
Holly Pitts, NBCT
· Courses Taught: 7th grade English and 8th grade College and Career Readiness Class
· School Info: Beechwood Independent Schools, 7th - 12th high school Blue Ribbon High School and Distinguished district
· Student Population: Over 600 students in grades 7-12 with 109 in the 7th grade
· Focus: Building stronger readers of fiction and nonfiction to improve stagnant reading scores. Allowing students to have a choice in what they read, will allow them to improve their speed, sustainability, and comprehension.
· Problem of Practice: A little over 70% of my incoming 7th graders were not on grade-level when they started the school year in August, 2014. They struggled with determining a passage’s main idea and inference skills.Jennifer Hail, NBCT
· Content Areas: 5th Grade ELA (Reading and Writing)
· School Info: Public elementary school with Proficient ranking; Distinguished district
· Student Population: 475 students in grades 4-6
· Focus: Building readers to strengthen all areas
· Problem of Practice: Students, particularly boys, do not read independently for enjoyment or in some cases, at all.
Kristin Duff, NBCT
· Content Areas: 4th grade self-contained
· School Info: Title 1, public elementary school in "Needs Improvement" status
· Student Population: 450 students in grades K-5
· Focus: Increasing fluency in order to increase comprehension
· Problem of Practice: With 85% of students not on grade level in reading, they were not able to read grade-level text fluently or accurately enough in order to make meaning of what they were reading.
Employ challenging reading responses to hold them accountable and assess daily.
”It’s so good that we are not constantly taking tests and that I actually get to read a book I like. I am reading more than I ever have.”
~Breonna F., 12th grader~
Student choice is essential; they have very little left.
"I love how I get a choice in what I learn, instead of being drilled with multiple choice every week."
~William K., 12th grader~
Give them time to read!
~Vanessa K., 12th grader~